I’m in the process of finishing up a design for a gaming table for my brother-in-law, and would like some input on how to join the corners. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I don’t have any ‘sacred cows’ when it comes to techniques or methods, but I have very limited access to power tools. Everything I’ve done so far on the table has been with hand tools (planes, backsaw, chisels) – and would love to finish it by hand if possible.

Aside from that, here’s what I’ve got so far:

(Table top is 4X8 sheet of plywood, 3/4” thick)—to be used for “Warhammer 40,000” game

You can see, I haven’t quite decided on how to join the table top and trestles together—it is supposed to be easy to take it apart and store against a wall when necessary.

I’ve never done drawers, of any kind, before, so that is something I’ll be learning for this project (any tips, resources, or suggestions appreciated).

Given what you see, and what I have on hand, what are your impressions, and what joint(s) would you suggest for the corner of the table?

Thanks a bunch guys!

- Lucky

-- “In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

6 replies so far

I’d prefer dovetails to the box joints you show in your drawing, but the box joints work well too. Dovetails are not that hard to cut by hand, and require only the simplest tools—a fine-toothed saw, a sharp chisel, a mallet, and some decent measuring and marking tools. There are lots of videos on the web that show how to do them.

As for the break-apart trestle, a pegged through tenon works pretty well. Solid when you need it, but easy to knock apart. Again, there is lots of info on the web that shows these.

I’d say your design needs a stretcher running the long way between the horizontal pieces. This would be a logical joint to use pegged tenons on.

-- I admit to being an adrenaline junky; fortunately, I'm very easily frightened

I agree on the dovetails for both the drawers and the table corners if you intend to do it by hand. They’re not hard to cut if you have sharp tools and good layout technique. The only downside to dovetails is that they take a far bit of time to do well unless you’re highly skilled. That however, is a moot issue since you don’t have any quick machine-cut options available anyway. Might as well invest the time needed for dovetails.

Box joints are usually used because they’re quick and easy to do with the right machine setup. Excepting Greene and Greene furniture, dovetails are usually superior in terms of strength and aesthetics.

Thank you guys! I’ve been leaning in the direction of dove-tail joints, for aesthetic reasons as well as joint strength.

I’ve never cut dovetails before – and I have a very inexpensive backsaw with which to cut them, so I’ll be doing some trial and error on spare stock before I attempt it on the frame for the table.

I was also thinking, that it might be nice to do larger pins and tails, given the scale of the table. I’m working with 1X6 pine on the sides—so would it be more appropriate to to smaller pins and tails? Either way?

Thank you, all of you, for your input, it is greatly appreciated!

- Lucky

-- “In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson